


The Anomaly

by Strange_Hearts



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Original Character - Freeform, Other, Vampire Elena, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-01
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2017-11-19 23:00:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/578557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strange_Hearts/pseuds/Strange_Hearts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <b>Elena isn't the doppleganger, she's Katherine's younger twin sister. How does this change the story?</b>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1490

**Author's Note:**

> **_Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Diaries, I'm just using the characters for my own purpose._ **

_Bulgaria, 1490_

* * *

" _Please mother, let me see her," Katerina Petrova said, holding out her hands for the child she had just painstakingly delivered. Her father, who had been standing just outside of the room, stepped in. He looked angered as he saw his wife going to hand the child over to Katerina._

" _Woman, don't! What are you doing?" he asked her, reaching for the child himself. His wife handed it to him._

" _Let me hold her at least once…just once," Katerina begged, tears in her eyes as she watched her father head towards the door. He gave her a look of the deepest loathing._

" _Forget it! You have disgraced this family." He walked straight out of the room, ignoring Katerina as she cried out for him to come back._

" _Father." The quiet voice, one that held the same tones as Katerina's, but was more respectful, called towards him. He turned towards his other daughter, the more respectful of the twins, Elena._

" _Father, please," she whispered, though a part of her knew that it was useless. She had been trying to get her father to change his mind for months now, ever since they all found out that Katerina was pregnant, but her father – one of the wealthiest men in Bulgaria – was more concerned about propriety and imagine over family._

_He glared at her, though his love for her was mixed with it. He couldn't be mad at his golden child; it wasn't possible. But that didn't mean that he wasn't angry at her suggestion, one that she had been trying to get him to change his mind to for weeks._

" _No, Elena," he said, his anger palpable. She shrank back – unlike her sister, she was shyer, softer than Katerina, delicate in a way one wouldn't expect. Elena was an anomaly, unexpected but not unwelcome. She was sweet and loyal. However, her loyalty had a fault – it was Katerina she was most loyal to, Katerina whom she usually agreed with. Katerina whom she protected often._

_Of course, Katerina was just as loyal to Elena. Katerina, as wild and selfish as she was, would do just about anything for Elena. Just as Elena always agreed with Katerina, just as she always protected Katerina, Katerina protected Elena; maybe even more so, with Elena's obvious softness._

_However, after this, after Katerina's obvious disregard to the family, that loyalty would soon shift. He hadn't told either of them yet, but Katerina wasn't going to be staying with the family much longer, and Elena would. Elena would be giving back to the family, as she should be._

_Elena was going to be married once Katerina was gone. He had already picked out her suitor, Viktor Skarske, whom he expect she held some affection for. Why else would she and Katerina be around Victor so much._

_Yes, a marriage between them would be he best thing to happen. Elena would rise up to such a challenge; Elena would realize that being loyal to Katerina was wrong. Elena wouldn't disappoint him as Katerina had._

* * *

_Elena hurried towards the back bedroom, her sister's bedroom since they'd discovered she was pregnant. Their mother was hurrying from the room, tears clouding her eyes. Elena didn't have to ask what was wrong; she could hear Katerina's cries from where she stood._

_She flung herself toward her sister, wrapping her arms around Katerina's shaking shoulders. Katerina grabbed the front of Elena's dress and pulled herself closer as she sobbed. She hadn't even gotten to hold her.._

* * *

" _What?" Elena gasped as her father loaded Katerina's things into a wagon. This could not be happening. Not only was her father disowning and kicking Katerina out of the family and Bulgaria, but he was going to force her to marry Viktor Skarske. She hated Viktor Skarske. He was the reason why Katerina had been pregnant to begin with, having attack her thinking she was Elena during a party. Elena knew this was true, and not just because her sister would never lie to her._

_The attack had happened just outside her window, Viktor having carried Katerina's struggling body from the party to the first dark space he could find._

_It had been dark, and she had been sick, that was the only reason why it had been Katerina who had been raped, not her. And yet, here was her father, selling her out to a rapist. They had told her father that it had been Viktor, both girls having recognizing his voice, but their father had ignored them, not believing them for a second._

_Elena had already decided to stick with Katerina, no matter what happened. And this news solidified her decision._

" _No," she said, running back into the house, where she quickly packed a bag, putting everything important to her in it. She thought about grabbing her journal as well, but decided to leave it. Maybe she would come back for it, once she was sure her father had realized the truth of what happened. She had, after all, written the attack down, how she had heard it from her window, unable to scream or move much._

_She placed it on her bed, grabbing her bag and running out to the wagon, which was already halfway down the road. She quickly caught up and hopped in back, ignoring her father's protests as Katerina helped her up._

" _Elena, no, you need to go back," Katerina said. She wanted her sister safe. Elena shook her head, and quickly told her what their father had said once Katerina had been sent off. Katerina's eyes widened at the fate her sister had almost had, and she didn't protest when Elena said she wanted to stay with her._

* * *

_England, 1490_

* * *

_It had almost been two months since Katerina and Elena Petrova arrived in England, quickly becoming accustomed to their customs. They were also considered to be exotic, with their olive complexions, dark chocolate hair, and chocolate eyes. Everyone who met them often agreed that Katerina was the more vivacious of the two, with her hair often curled to perfection, and the brightly colored gowns she was prone to wear. However, Elena had admirer's of her own, with her pin straight hair often done up in elaborate styles that Katerina's hair couldn't hold, and the dark and richly colored gowns she wore._

_Spring had arrived. A ball was being held, one in which the twins had been invited by the family who was charting them. Though they were disowned, that news hadn't been told to those in England – everyone assumed that the twins had been sent to visit. The fifteen years old knew that lying was wrong, but they had figured out quickly how to use their title to their advantages._

_Katerina wore a gown of purple, with a white kirtle, dark red threading, and a red and purple beaded belt. Elena wore a gown of dark blue, with a blue kirtle, dark blue threading, and multi-toned blue beaded belt. Both wore headdresses, though Elena wore he's with her hair up in an intricate bun with thin braids . Katerina's wildly curled hair flowed down her back like a waterfall._

_It had been several hours since the party had begun. Katerina, as she was prone to do, was one of the most sought after girls for the dances, Elena usually refusing to dance as what her custom. She stayed of the fringe of the party, watching for the time when her sister would tire so that they could get back home._

_It was as she was heading towards the gardens that she ran into someone. Gasping, she looked towards them, an apology on her lips when it stuck in her throat. The man she had ran into was handsome, but that wasn't what caught her breath. The look in his eyes did. Everything about him screamed danger to her._

" _I'm so sorry, miss," he said, his accent unidentifiable. He was looking at her with shock on his face, as if he was looking at a ghost. It was making her uncomfortable._

" _It's alright. I was the one who wasn't watching where I was going. I shall be more careful next time." She bowed, and went to hurry away when he hand grabbed hers. She looked at him, startled._

" _Wait," he said, "please. May I know your name, miss?" he sounded hopeful. She swallowed the lump in her throat, the one that said it wasn't a good idea to give him her name. Nonsense she thought to herself._

" _I'm Elena Petrova, sir," she said, bowing again._

" _Elena," he purred her name, and it scared her. "I'm Klaus, Klaus Gregovitch."_

_He brought her hand up to his lips, leaving a light kiss on her knuckles._

" _Come, Join me in the gardens for a turn," he said, rather pleasantly, and yet, at the same time, Elena felt as if he had commanded her. And, perhaps it was just a trick of the light, but she could have sworn his pupils had just dilated…_

_She mentally shook her hand, gently pulling her hand from his._

" _I'm sorry, but I have other plans," she said, noticing shock cross his face once more. She bowed once more and turned to leave, but he hand shot out once more, grabbing hers. However, he didn't say anything when she turned to him to demand that he leave her alone, for his eyes were looking in the direction she had been about to head in. She turned to see what had caught his attention, and saw Katerina, who had noticed them, walking toward them._

" _Elena, come, it is time we get home," she said, sounding rather rude toward Klaus. She knew that she should have a bit nicer, but the guy wasn't leaving her sister alone. She wrenched her hand away from his, pulling Elena into her side as she hurried out the place toward the place they had been staying._

_However, before they could make it, they were intercepted. Klaus, along with several of his 'friends' – his guard, really – inconspicuously surrounded them._

" _Miss Petrova and Miss Petrova," he announced, gaining their attention. He looked deep into Katerina's eyes, apologizing for his rudeness towards Elena, then asked if they would like to board at his estate. Elena, having nothing but a bad feeling about such an adventure, hoped that Katerina would decline, but was disappointed when she did so._

_However, she trusted her sister, and didn't deny when he held out his arm, her own coming up to wrap around it as he escorted her to a carriage. Katerina followed, being escorted by a man whom she head introduce himself as Elijah._

* * *

A loud beeping noise filled the room just then, waking it's occupant. The occupant – a single, young-looking woman – shot out of bed, a knife in her hand as she looked around for whatever it was that awoke her. It took her a few minutes to realize that it was her alarm on her phone, informing her that it was time to awaken.

Sighing, she grabbed the phone, turning the alarm off. She shook her straight hair out of her face, running her hand through the dark strands. It was then that she noticed a message on her phone. Curious, and worried, she quickly connected to her voicemail.

" _You have one new message. Message one._ "

" _Hey, I need you to go to Mystic Falls for me. John and Isobel have the device, but I think they've gone rogue. I need you to make sure that the Salvatores will live though it. Isobel is trying to have them killed. I would do it myself, but I your closer at the moment. Also, check on Mia for us. Just go by her house, and then wait for me at the inn. I'll see you soon, little sis._ "

The calm, cool voice of her older twin called her. Nothing was wrong with Katerina. Elena sighed once more, deleting the message on the phone as she thought about the dream that she had just had. No, not dream, she corrected herself. Memory. It was her memory, memories, of when her father had taken Katerina's baby away from her, banishing her from Bulgaria while informing Elena of her impending engagement and marriage to Viktor – the name left a bad taste in her mouth – to the first time she met Klaus and Elijah. A shiver ran through her as she remembered Klaus.

_No_ she scolded herself, stopping herself before she could think of him. She hurried towards the bathroom, showering quickly before dressing in a pair of skin tight black pants, a purple velvet shirt with three-quarter sleeves, and black multi-strapped sandal with silver studs. Packing her bags, which didn't take long at all, for she only had one at the moment, she checked to make sure the necklace, bracelet, ring, and anklet that allowed her the power to walk in the sunlight were on – she only needed one, but having so many tended to confuse other vampires, as they never knew which one to grab – and walked out of the hotel she was in.

Katerina was right; Elena was closer to Mystic Falls that she was. And she would go, not only because her sister had asked her to, but because she would have the chance to see her sister, whom she hadn't seen since Katerina discovered Isobel, who knew who Katerina was.

It was just lucky that Elena had remained hidden.


	2. Interrupted Moments

_Mystic Falls, 2010_

* * *

It was strange to be in Mystic Falls, decided Elena as she sat, crouched, in a tree out of the way, watching the procedure of the parade. Her eyes had immediately found Mia – though she did have to take a second glance. Mia looked so much like Katerina used to that she had thought it was Katerina. Mia's hair, just as curly as Katerina's had once been, looked even more wilder that Katerina's had ever been.

Katerina no longer wore her hair as curled as that, Elena thought to herself with a moment of [depressed](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7752049/2/The-Anomaly) silence. Katerina had begun to [straighten](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7752049/2/The-Anomaly) her hair, not to the point Elena's was, but certainly straighter that it usually was. While Elena knew why, she still missed the carefree wildness that her sister's hair used to be like.

Elena knew that Katerina had asked her to go by the house, but she was able to watch Mia just fine from where she was at. And Elena was fine. With that thought, she jumped from the tree silently, attracting no attention, and headed to the grill, hungry for actual food.

It was after she walked through the doors that her eyes immediately fell on a familiar face.

"Annabelle," she whispered, seeing said face snap up. Their eyes met, and it only took Anna a few minutes to realize that the person in front of her wasn't Katerina or Mia. Elena immediately turned around, hurrying from the bar and grill. She immediately ran into the woods, speeding up once she was out of sight of any people. Anna followed.

"Elena," she called. "Elena, wait, please." Elena didn't slow down.

"Elena, you owe it to me to slow down," Anna suddenly said. Elena sighed, knowing that she did own Anna to do so, and so she slowed, turning to look at the young vampire. She quickly dodged the body slam Anna tried on her, jumping into a tree once more.

"What do you want, Anna? In fact, what are you even doing here? I would have thought once you got Pearl back, you would of gotten out of town," Elena said, jumping from the tree. With a strength that betrayed her slender self, she grabbed Anna's neck, picking her up and backing her up into a tree. Though she was older, Anna was no match for Elena; Klaus had made sure that Elena was more powerful compared to other vampires when he turned her.

"Now, answer my questions," she said, but without the use of compulsion.

"I did get my mother back, but we decided to stay in Mystic Falls. Actually, I did, because, well, because I'm seeing someone. And I wanted to know why you're here. While Katherine has no problem using others, or leaving them to rot, you're the only one who has the guarantee that Katherine won't allow harm to come too," Anna said, not struggling at all. Elena nodded, not letting Anna go.

"What I'm here for is my own business," Elena said, not bothering to say that Katerina had asked her to come. "Where's Pearl?"

A look of pain crossed Anna face. "She's dead. John Gilbert killed her in while trying to find a invention of his ancestor's." She suddenly glared at Elena. "It's Katherine's fault. If she hadn't become so damn infatuated with the Salvatore brothers, she would have headed our warning to leave before it was too late, and my mother wouldn't have been trapped in the tomb. And John Gilbert was looking for the device that Katherine was looking for as well, so it's also her fault. If she hadn't sent John to look for it, she wouldn't be dead."

Elena shook her head. She knew that Katherine hadn't done that; at least, not intentionally. She had sent Isobel to get the device from Pearl, with a message of where Katherine would meet her. _Well, that explains why Pearl never showed_ Elena said.

"Anna, Katherine's not working with John Gilbert. She sent a vampire named Isobel to get the device from Pearl, and even gave her a message from my sister," Elena explained. "It's actually why I'm here; I was to make sure your mother was all right. My sister and I were worried when she didn't show up to the meeting place."

Anna's face went through different emotions, from confused to disbelief, and Elena knew she had to say something else so that Anna would definitely believe her.

"Remember, when we found out that Pearl had been captured, we tried to save her and discovered the info about the tomb," she reminded Anna softly. Anna's face snapped back to her.

"Then why didn't Katherine show up to help open the tomb?" she asked, hostile suddenly.

"Someone told people about the tomb. It was being watched, others just waiting for Katerina and I to show up. That's why we couldn't help," Elena said, and Anna's face fell. She had been the one who let the tomb secret out, even though Elena had told her not to make a big deal about it. She had just been so desperate to get her mother that she didn't think about the consequences for Elena and Katherine. And she knew, knew the story behind them.

"I've…I've got to get to the Salvatores, tell them that the council is going to use the device tonight. And I've got to tell them about the rest of the tomb vampires, who are planning to attack tonight. They'll be more worried about that…" Anna rambled on.

"Anna, they need to be worried about the device more than the attacking vampires," Elena said.

"But Mia's witch friend dispelled it," Anna said. "She made it harmless…what?"

Elena's face had suddenly turned grave. "It's not inactivated. Otherwise, they wouldn't be using it. Neither Isobel nor John are stupid enough not to check to make sure that it's still spelled. Plus, from what I've heard about this witch – the newest Bennett, right? – she's not in the right state of mind right now, still grieving about her grandmother. And, if I heard correctly, her grandmother died opening the tomb…"

"Which means that to de-spell it would go against her moral code, especially when she believes the Salvatores are at fault for her grandmother's death. Not even Mia would be able to change the witch's mind; in fact, the witch probably thinks that Mia would be better off without vampires, the Salvatores, in her life," Anna finished, realizing what Elena was getting too.

"Exactly," Elena said. "Your going to have to tell them that, and make sure they understand that they, and you, cannot leave the boarding house tonight. Oh, and make sure you leave me out of this."

She looked straight into Anna's eyes, knowing that Anna might end up getting caught if she didn't.

"You will do all that, leave any mention of me out of it, and once you do tell, you will not leave the boarding house until the device is turned off," Elena said, compelling her. "You will also not mention that you've been compelled, nor will you mention who did it once the conditions are met."

Anna repeated what Elena had told her and ran to where she figured the Salvatores to be, at the boarding house. Elena watched her go, positive that she had saved the three vampires, that they would indeed stay away from the others.

She was wrong.

Stefan had refused to listen to Anna, choosing to believe that Bonnie would honor her friendship with Mia, and would have de-spelled the device. He and his brother, in a fool-hardy attempt at the right thing, were caught outside when the device went off, and only Stefan managed to escape unscathed. However, Elena, who happened to see Bonnie near the fire and saw Stefan – whom she knew her sister wanted – refused to let Stefan die, and begged Bonnie to rescue him – and, unknowingly, Damon as well, for she didn't know he was there, by controlling the fire, though she disappeared before she could see them…or they could see her.

Afterwards, Damon went to the Gilbert house, to talk to Jeremy about how he'd been treating his sister, a way for him to thank her for believing he was worth saving. Also, to tell him where Anna was – she had refused to leave the boarding house for some reason, though, looking back, he could see that she was right not too. Ooh, when he got his hands on the witch bitch… Well, he couldn't do a damn thing, but he would never willingly help her unless asked by Mia. That would be the only way he would even lift a finger to help her. If Mia asked, he would do it.

* * *

Elena walked towards the house, Mia's things in her hands. She had been seen by someone who, luckily, thought of her as Mia, handing her the dress she had seen Mia wearing, and she had, taken them, walking to Mia's house, hoping that Katerina would be there; she wasn't supposed to be getting involved! Not that begging Bonnie to save Stefan for Katerina helped. In truth, she shouldn't have done that either.

Arriving at the house, she realized that she could sense a vampire in the house, and felt relief as she could just imagine who it was. Katerina. Katerina was already there, inside. The dress in her arms, she slowly walked towards the door as it opened. A face, one she had only seen once before, made her stop in her tracks, flashes of a memory going through her mind.

_Being pressed against a wall, hidden from view… Soft lips pressing against hers… Her teeth sliding through his skin, his blood flowing down her throat… Her blood, bubbling up from her wrist, pressed to his mouth, feeding it too him… Plans to change him right there… An interruption…_

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked, unable to help herself, with how surprised to see him. Damon Salvatore. Probably the only man who ever caught her eye in a positive way. She could remember well the one – and only – time they ever met, but didn't let herself get lost in that memory. Instead, she berated herself for not thinking of seeing him.

She had been told that the Salvatore brothers were here. Actually, when she thought of it, she hadn't actually been told about the brothers, just the Salvatores, which, from what she understood had manage to extend to this century – Katerina had never mentioned anything about Damon – not that she had brought him up herself. Still Katerina had known a bit about how she had felt about him; she was the one to find them together, after all, when Elena was about to turn him without asking if he wanted to be turned.

She would have to see what was going on when she talked to Katerina next.

He looked up to see her, not seeming to be surprised to see her.

"Failed and feeble attempt of doing the right thing," he said. It confused her. What was it that he needed to attempt to do right?

"Which was..?" she asked, no, pressed on, trying to figure it out.

"It's not important. Let me take this for you," he said. She handed him the dress.

"Thank you," she said. They were silent for a few seconds, and Elena was about to ask him to go for a walk with her – not wanting to give herself away as a vampire to him, unsure of what his reaction was and afraid of it – when he spoke again.

"You know, I came to this town wanting to destroy it. Tonight, I found myself wanting to protect it," he started, and Elena froze. He hadn't been at the boarding house like he was supposed to? Did Anna not warn them? She would have to get in contact with her to find out. "How does this happen? I'm not a hero. I don't do good. It's not in me."

"Maybe it is," Elena said, not liking how he was putting himself down. What had happened to him? Something had – she could tell.

"No. Nah, that's reserved for my brother, and you…and Bonnie…Even though she has every reason to hate me, she still helped Stefan save me," he said.

"Why do you sound so surprised? " Elena asked, not wanting to say what she really wanted to say. _Why wouldn't she save you? She owed it to you. You don't owe her anything. You're not at fault for Sheila's death._ And then, the rest of what he said hit her. _He was there in the fire. I guess it really a good thing that I begged Bonnie as I did._

"Because she only saved me for you. Which means that, somewhere along the way, you decided that I was worthy saving. And I want to thank you for that," he told her. Elena, having worked that out, knew that it wasn't exactly true – she hadn't realized that Damon was in there – but she didn't say anything to contradict him, as she would have saved him anyways – in fact, she would have given herself away in order to save him if needed.

"Your welcome," she said softly, looking at him in the eye so that he could see that she meant it. Looking in her eyes, he leaned forward, kissing her on the cheek softly, then, leaned back, caught her eye again, and slowly leaned forward, stopping just a few centimeters from her mouth, giving her the option to decline. She didn't.

He tasted just as she remembered him to. Sweet but spicy. However, he was even sweeter, the taste of blood mixed in as well. She pressed against him, her arms coming up to wrap around him, feeling his emotions through the kiss. There was something to him… Something that drew her to him...

"Mia," she suddenly heard. She broke the kiss immediately, looking over to the door that she hadn't notice had been opened. She and Damon broke apart, as she gave the woman who stood in the doorway a look of deep hatred for breaking them apart, though she let it fall from her face before it could be noticed. Damon had turned away, looking as if he was trying to hide himself from the attention.

"Hi," Elena said to the woman.

"It's late," the woman said. "You should probably come inside." Despite how it sounded, it wasn't a suggestion.

Elena looked at Damon for a moment, realizing that it wasn't going to be a good idea to do anything but what the woman said, grabbed her dress from where Damon had placed it, and walked into the house, still looking at Damon until the door blocked her view.

The woman turned to her, looking furious.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said, heading upstairs, placing the dress onto the bed, and sent Katerina a text, explaining where she was before heading back downstairs.

There is someone else down there, a man. Elena recognizes him as John Gilbert, and felt a hatred running through her, making her feel more like the vampire she is. He tried to kill Damon! She walked over to the fridge, hiding herself from him behind the door. He jumped when he saw her, startled.

"You scared me," he said.

"Sorry," she lied, feigning nervousness as she looked around, seeing a knife laying there on the counter. John seemed to think she was there for a reason, a specific reason, in fact, for he began to speak again, not paying attention to her. She grabbed the knife before he noticed, holding it behind her back.

"You know, I first met Isobel when I was a teenager. I fell in love with her instantly although I'm pretty sure she never loved me. She was special. A part of why I hate the vampires so much is because of what she became, how it ruined her, and I would never have sent her to Damon if I had known she wanted to turn," he said. She looked at him. "It's my fault. I'm telling you this because I hoped maybe you'd understand."

"Thank you," she said, figuring that was what Mia would say. It was, after all, a part of her history.

"Can I help?" he said, leaning on the counter with the hand that held his ring on it. She looked at it for a second, before looking back at him.

"Sure," she smiled, then, before he even had a chance to move or realize what was going on, she quickly brought the knife from behind her back and slammed it down onto his fingers. He screamed, looking shocked as she pushed him away from the island counter and into the sink.

"Katherine?" he said. She smiled at him, not bothering to correct him.

"Hello, John. Good-bye, John," she said, right before she pushed the knife into his gut, twisting it and thrusting it upwards before pulling it out and letting it drop to the ground, just as she heard Mia walking up to the door, speaking to someone on the phone. Elena quickly grabbed the ring – the whole finger, really – just as the door opened, pausing as Mia identified the person she was speaking to as Stefan, which surprised her, though she kept an eye on John.

Noticing that John was reaching out for the knife while waiting to discover what Mia was going to do. Without thinking, she kicked the knife away from him, mentally cursing as she heard Mia freeze on the stair, then turn around to head into the kitchen.

Elena managed to get out of the room as Mia walked in. She watched from behind, slightly fascinated, as Mia looked around before finding John on the ground. However, remembering that she wasn't supposed to be there – though she also couldn't help but want to stay for a bit. She quickly moved when she realized that Mia had been semi warned by John that she was there. Watching as she entered the living, Elena ran out of the house, the door shutting quite loudly behind her.


	3. Memories

_Mystic Falls, 1864_

* * *

_Elena stood in the shadows, her eyes flitting from one face to another, making sure that she wasn't noticed by anyone who wasn't supposed to notice her – which was pretty much everyone at the moment. **Katerina, where are you**_ _she thought to herself, her eyes scanning the crowd. She knew that she would most likely get in trouble if someone other than Katerina saw her. She'd most likely get in trouble anyways, because she wasn't supposed to be there in town. But she wanted to speak to Katerina, tell her what news she'd just found out._

_Klaus was coming to America, looking for them. And he would be there in America, soon. Just the idea of Klaus finding them scared her. The things that he'd done to her... No, she wouldn't think about it. She went back to her search._

_As Elena's eyes flitted through the crowd, not finding her sister, she didn't notice that someone has noticed her. Sighing, she backed out, keeping to the shadows as she headed out of town. She'd be back in an hour or so, and check out the boarding house that Katerina was staying at ._

_Elena managed to make it a bit away from the main party when she heard something behind her, and she quickly turned. Her eyes widened as she saw that she'd been followed, and her first instinct was to run. But she stood there, stunned, as he came closer, her eyes widening as they fell upon his handsome face._

" _Katherine," they guy said, and Elena realized that he knew her sister. That was when she knew that there would be trouble in if she didn't do something right now. Add in the fact that, based on the dark hair and blue eyes he sported, this was one of the Salvatore brothers – Damon, if she remembered by the description Katerina had written to her – and therefore, he would be closer to her sister than anyone else in town._

_Thinking of that, she realized that, perhaps, she could use him. She hadn't much luck in finding her sister herself, but maybe she could use him to find her and give her a message. She'd just have to be careful on how to word it..._

_Before she could do anything, having been lost in her musings, she realized that he had moved closer to her. A hint of his scent filled her olfactory senses in a single moment, and then his mouth was on hers. Surprise fluttered through her, and she felt the wall against her back in the next moment. A squeak of surprise left her throat, partially because if his actions, and partially because of how easy it was for him to sneak up on her. She's kind of horrible with letting that happen, always had been, easily distracted as well. And he, Damon, was distracting._

_She practically melted in his kiss. Her hands come up to wrap around his shoulders, her mouth opens to him, allowing his tongue entrance. She moans out when she tastes him, realizing quickly that she's hungry. And she wants him, wants his blood. She pulls her mouth away from his, trailing her lips down his chin, down his neck, until she comes to what she believes is the perfect spot. Her teeth come out, and she bites down, his warm blood filling her as he lets out a startled breath. She quickly focuses, not letting him feel pain, only pleasure from the actions. She didn't want him to catch attention from people around them._

_She stops after a few mouthfuls, not needing that much blood, nor wanting it to be known that she'd fed from him. Licking the bite mark clean, she looks up at him, catching his eye._

" _You won't remember this," she said, her eye dilating as her compulsion ability flowed through her. "You'll just remember walking around. Repeat what I just said."_

_He did so, verbatim, and she nodded, satisfied. Bringing up her wrist, she bit, letting the blood flow._

" _Drink," she said. "Drink, and then leave. You won't remember doing this, either."_

_Once she was satisfied that he'd healed, and there was no evidence of what she'd done, she let him leave, though her eyes stayed on him until he was gone._

* * *

_Mystic Falls, 2010_

* * *

"Elena," she heard, and she turned from the large window in front of her, pushing away the memory that she'd been thinking about on and off since she'd seen Damon Salvatore leaving the Gilbert house two weeks ago. Her eyes caught the person who'd been speaking. Alisha Bennett stood in behind her, a worried look on her aging face. Alisha had been Elena's companion since she was six years old, Elena having become her mother, sister, and now her daughter in thirty-seven years they'd been together.

Alisha was also a witch, something that Elena had helped her understand in the years they'd been together. Elena wouldn't lie – having a witch by her side was extremely helpful. Knowing that she was completely loyal to her was even better. If there was one thing that Elena remembered Klaus mentioning when it came to dealing with witches, it was gain them when their young. _'Easier to build a bond between you, and insure their complete loyalty,'_ was what Klaus always said.

Not that Elena had anything to do with Alisha's family being killed. In fact, she was have been much happier left Alisha at a orphanage – she wasn't old enough to even look like she had a child – but the Bennetts were always known to be witches, and she knew that it was better to keep an eye on the young girl, eventually becoming fond of her – Elena wouldn't quite be ready for her to die when the time came.

"Yes?" she asked, realizing that Alisha had been standing there for a while, waiting to be noticed. She walked over to her, subconsciously enjoying the _whish, whish_ sound her skirt made when she walked. While she didn't mind pants or shorts all that much, she loved the long skirts that reminded her of the time she'd grown up in.

"Your sister has arrived in town," Alisha said. "She wishes to know if you would mind her staying at a hotel over coming to stay here in the house."

Elena thought about it, her eyes sweeping over the wide parlor room she stood in. The house she'd chosen was a magnificent piece of work, meant for a larger family to live in; and, indeed, that's what she had been expecting when she heard that Katerina would be there soon. Yet, if Katerina would rather stay in a hotel...

It didn't take long for Elena to realize the exact reason for this. Katerina didn't want her to be discovered, as always. Being here, in Mystic Falls, were Katerina had left the moonstone all those years ago... Elena knew that she was hoping to barter with Klaus, their lives and freedom for the moonstone, Doppelganger, and the ingredients to break the curse as well. What Katerina didn't understand was that, the chances were, Klaus wouldn't grant their freedom or Katerina's life, considering how long he'd been chasing them. Elena knew that, if Katerina was to keep her life, she would have to give up her own freedom, use that to barter with Klaus.

Even then, she doubted it would be enough.

"I do not mind if she stays at a hotel," Elena said, knowing that Katerina wouldn't listen to her words, for the simple fact that she cared too much for Elena to hear them. "Just so long as she is able to come and visit me."

"Of course," Alisha said, bobbing her head. She turned back and left the room, heading back to the entrance hall, where the phone could be found. Elena turned back to the window, her mind going back to her thoughts about Damon.

* * *

_Mystic Falls, 1864_

* * *

_She couldn't get him out of her mind. Not even the scolding that Katerina had given her could drive him from her mind. She just wanted to see him again, so badly. She sighed, turning from the window as Emily, Katerina's maid, walked into the room. Elena visibly deflated, knowing that Emily's presence wasn't an accident. Any chance of going out tonight were now eradicated._

" _Miss Pierce thought that you might go out tonight," Emily said. "She told me all about your...meeting with Master Damon."_

" _Is it so bad that I would want to see him again?" Elena asked. "I can't get him out of my mind, and the thought of him makes it feel as if my heart should be racing. Plus, the idea of him with Katerina..."_

_Elena stopped speaking, looking away, feeling ashamed at her thoughts. Never, not once, had she ever thought meanly of Katerina. Not when Katerina got herself disowned and almost left her, not when Katerina got them trapped in Klaus's home, and not even when she was separated from her sister, starved, bled out, and tortured by Klaus in an attempt to discover why she was able to resist his compulsion attempts._

_Elena shivered lightly as the mere thought of what Klaus had done to her in those attempts, up until he decided to finally find out what would happen if she was turned into a vampire, justifying the action by the fact that Katerina existed, and therefore, he would still be able to do the ritual._

_Looking at Emily, she asked again, "Is it so bad that I want to see him?"_

_Emily seemed to be thinking, looking at the young girl in front of her. Elena had a feeling that she knew what Emily was thinking. Unlike Katherine, who was just a month shy of her eighteenth birthday when she'd been changed, Elena, unfortunately, was changed within a few months of meeting Klaus, and was, therefore, still fifteen – closer to sixteen, yes, but still fifteen when she was officially turned. And, while it didn't show as much as it did with Anna, who had been turned a month after her fifteenth birthday, Elena still did look a bit younger than Katherine, not much, but just enough that, if in their presence a long time, it was noticeable._

" _No, Elena, I don't think it's bad," Emily finally said. In fact, she sounded downright happy over the idea of Elena wanting someone. "You're sister, Miss Katherine, is going to be spending time with the younger Salvatore. I'm sure that the older Salvatore wouldn't mind company himself."_

" _I don't know," Elena said. "I don't...I don't want to be Katherine to him."_

_Once Elena uttered this , Emily couldn't help the look of surprise._

" _You want him to know you as yourself," Emily said. Elena nodded._

" _I know that I shouldn't – that Katherine would be mad if I did, but... I want him to know me, for being myself," Elena said._

" _It wouldn't be safe," Emily said, Elena's face fell, even though she knew that Emily was right – it would be dangerous, not only because of the chances of Klaus finding out, but because, as far as anyone in Mystic Falls – along with almost every single vampire in Katerina's group, other than Pearl and Annabelle – knew, Elena Petrova didn't exist. Only Katerina existed._

" _However, with your...talents, you might be able to bypass the danger element," Emily continued. Elena looked at her, hardly believing what she was saying._

" _You mean you want me to actively use my compulsion," Elena said. "Why? I mean, you hate it when we think about using it. You only like it being used when it comes to feeding, because it means that we'll actually leave the person alive."_

" _If it's to hide who you are, then yes, I do want you to use it," Emily said. "All you have to do is compel him not to tell anyone about you. As for why, well, I care about you, a lot, Elena. I've seen what you went through, from when you fell into Klaus' grasp to what you suffered when you managed to help your sister escape – without Klaus even knowing that you'd done that. If Master Damon is able to get you're mind off of that, then I'm willing to compromise my personal dislike of compulsion._

" _Of course, I would probably feel better if you didn't resort straight to compulsion without his permission," Emily added._

" _Of course," Elena said, a huge smile crossing her face. "Are you sure he's going to be free tonight?"_

* * *

_Mystic Falls, 2010_

* * *

"So, what do you have planned for tonight?" Alisha asked, looking at Elena.

"Well, since we're going to stay here alone, I might as well start fixing up the place," Elena said, looking over the house. Having lived as long as she had, Elena had eventually decided to go into a business where she'd buy houses, foreclosed or otherwise, fix them and the surrounding landscape up, and then either sell, rent, or turn into places of business. She did own several inns, boarding houses, bed and breakfasts, and a coffee/bookstore, all of which made it possible for her to have the money to buy more houses to fix up.

"Have you decided what you're going to do?" Alisha asked as the two of them left the parlor room and headed to the dining area, where the house blueprints were laid out.

"I think this place would be perfect for a boarding house," Elena said. "That, or a bed and breakfast. There's certainly enough room for either."

"There certainly is," Alisha agreed. "What about the landscape? There's quite a bit of surrounding land connected to the house."

"Well..." Elena started, thinking about it. While she had bought the house, it wasn't just the house that had been in the business deal. The surrounding land – about three acres, including where the house was built – was part of the deal as well. It was a good area – kind of far from the town center, but not so far that it was considered the middle of no where. It was the perfect place for those who wanted to go on a romantic vacation, in all honesty.

"How about we do this," she finally said, beginning to outline her plan. Alisha occasionally nodded her head in agreement, only making a suggestion for something else once or twice, until they had a rudimentary plan to go ahead with.

"I'll make the calls in the morning," Alisha eventually said, yawning as the lateness of the hour got to her. "Will you be heading up to bed now as well?"

"I'm going to go out," Elena said. Alisha made a face, but nodded in understanding. While the improvement of blood banks had made excessive hunting unneeded, Elena still liked – or preferred – to go out every now and then for a hunt. It kept her from forgetting what she really was...or, at least, that's what she told Alisha. And it wasn't completely untrue, though, truthfully, she did enjoy a good hunt, and, this way, she could also keep a contact to the real world. If she didn't hunt, the only contact she would really have was with her sister, Alisha – until she died or left – and whichever contractor she'd make contact with when it came to the few things that she couldn't quite do herself when it came to expanding a place or doing the landscaping that she wanted.

It was well known to those who knew her well that Elena was a bit antisocial. Going out on a hunt was one of the few ways that she kept from being completely misanthropic, the other being her business.

"Don't worry," Elena added. "I know better than to kill anyone. This town is well aware of vampires – to kill anyone would be to bring unwanted attention on us. I'm not going to risk that."

"Like looking like Mia doesn't already do that," Alisha teased.

"True," Elena said. "Which is why I'll be going to the next town. Less chance of running into her." _Or anyone who knows her_ she added in her thoughts, her mind going straight back to a certain blue eyed vampire. No, she definitely didn't want to run into him again – she was rather lucky that he hadn't realized that she wasn't Mia, and had no desire for him to think she wasn't her. As Katerina had told her, it was very likely that, once he realized that she wasn't the Doppelganger, he would think that it was Katerina, not her.

After all, he really didn't have any reason to think it was her. He didn't remember who she was, after all.

* * *

_Mystic Falls, 1864_

* * *

" _Elena!" The whisper sounded like a shout as she pulled away from Damon, her eyes widening as they connected with the furious ones of Katerina's. Panic runs through her mind, knowing exactly what Katerina had seen. Her feeding on his blood. Him feeding on her blood. How long has been standing there, though, for it wasn't just a blood fest between her and Damon._

_No, there had been words exchanged between them, sweet words, promises of love. But, more than that, there a more important exchange between them, one that would see her and Damon together for much longer than time would normally allow for them._

_Elena had told him what she was the first night together, told him of living off the blood of people, expecting him to have to force him to forget her words mere moments after she utters them. Instead, he accepted them, accepted her, and willingly allowed her to compel him into secrecy._

_They'd spent a lot of time together since then, running into the woods, talking, and just generally being with each other. Of course, it isn't always like that. Within a week of their second meeting, she's showing him just how demonic she could be, ruthlessly killing and feeding on several men as he watches; then next, she's giving herself to him – the first time she's ever left a man willingly have her – and enjoying it, something she didn't think was possible._

_And, just moments before, she had made him an offer, an offer to join her in this life. Getting him something to protect him in the sun wouldn't be a problem – she could ask Emily to make something. And she didn't lie, trying to make it seem to be the best deal ever – she told him point blank that she was being hunted, that their time together might not actually be forever. She didn't think he really understood that part, though he said he had when he gave her an answer._

_Still, she wanted to be selfish, and decided to take his word instead of making him be truthful or take more time in deciding._

" _Elena," Katerina's voice said again, and Elena let go of Damon, who was looking between the twins with a look of confusion on his face. Elena had bothered telling him that Katerina had no idea of her visits._

_Katerina walked forward, her face a blazing fury. It wasn't that Elena was with Damon – Elena knew that, able to see it in Katerina's face, in her eyes. No, what had Katerina angry was that Elena was risking herself, risking Damon, by being with him, by attempting to change him._

_Katerina grabbed her arm, pulling Elena to her, and began to talk. Elena barely listened to the words, only knowing what the outcome of them would be. Her eyes looked up to Damon, sorrow evident. To others, the words Katerina were saying might seem like poison. To Elena, they were nothing but the truth, a truth that showed just how selfish she was being. The words weren't intentionally mean, just something that pointed out just how dangerous it would be for Damon to be with her. Klaus still wanted her, after all, her and Katerina, both for different reason – or the same, if he's gotten as irritated with her as he is with her sister._

_Even though she had told him, and he had said he still excepted that, she knew that he didn't really understand, and that her decision to continue forward was nothing more than pure selfishness. She tried to fool herself into thinking that Damon would just be let go, alive and able to live the life a vampire, but she really does know better. Klaus won't let him live, mostly because she knows that Damon wouldn't let her go. Even in the short time she's known him, she knows this fact._

_And so, she compels him, changing his memories so that he believes that he's been with Katerina the entire time he's been with her. It's still selfish of her, leaving him with even the faintest memories of her, though she doesn't leave any of herself actually in them._

_Katerina doesn't know what Elena has done; she left, going away to give them some privacy, her own heart breaking. Katerina doesn't have to say that; Elena knows this for a fact, is able to feel it. They're twins, after all, able to related to each other than anyone would ever be able to._

_Elena knows, as she walks away from Damon, that it isn't going to be just him who suffers from having fallen for a Petrova. The other brother will suffer as well. It's a foregone conclusion until Klaus is dealt with._


	4. A Difference in Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **_Yes, I know that this chapter has been a long while in coming. Truthfully, I've had it done for a while, I just haven't had a chance to put it up yet because my internet was being mean, and not loading anything for me so that I could put it up._ **

_Mystic Falls, 2010_

* * *

 

“Katerina,” Elena said as she held her phone to her ear, a hammer in her hand. “What can I do for you?”

“Gee, here I thought you'd be excited to hear from me, and it seems that I would be wrong in thinking that,” Katerina said.

“I am excited to hear from you,” Elena said. “However, I am a bit busy as well –“

“Yes, with the restoration of the house,” Katerina said. “How's that going, by the way?”

“Slowly, probably just as slow as your search is going,” Elena said, staying at the partially demolished wall in front of her. It was a wall that had cut into the living room, making that space small while creating a very small room that the previous owner had made into a partial bedroom, lacking space and a closet.

“Well...” Katerina started to say.

“Did you get it, or not?” Elena asked.

“No. I've kind of...been distracted,” Katerina said, her tone grouchy. Elena picked that up immediately.

“Want to come over? “ she asked. “I do, after all, still have a kitchen to sit at.”

When she asked her question, Elena noticed that there was a sort of echo quality to it, and she turned to see Katerina standing behind her.

“Actually, I'm kind of already here,” Katerina said, shutting her phone off as Elena did the same. Smiling at her almost identical twin – after all, having been turned when she was a bit younger than Katerina, Elena did have the look of being younger than her sister, though most people did not see it often – Elena walked forward, opening her arms for a hug. After hugging and giving a small kiss to each other's cheeks, Elena led Katerina into the kitchen – the only part of the house really suitable for company – she settled down into one of the chairs next to Katerina, a drink in her hand.

“So, what has you distracted?” Elena asked. “I would have thought that the search for the moonstone would take priority to everything.”

“Since I left it with his family, and Mason says that it was there before he left, I decided to just let him do the search. After all, I can't really be seen in town, what with out little doppelganger running about,” Katerina said, a frown on her face as she thought about Mia. She didn't really care for the girl – after all, because of her, Stefan was being very resistant towards her and admitting the love he had for her, as he had once done so many years ago.

“Anyway, after... _acquiring_ the help of little newby vampire Caroline,” Katerina continued. Elena shook her head, knowing that it was Katerina who was the reason why Caroline was a vampire to begin with. “I went to visit Stefan. Of course, I did it early morning, and, well...”

“You slipped into his head, didn't you?” Elena said.

“Well, what would you have done,” Katerina answered. Elena kept from answering, as she knew she'd do the same thing, only not with Stefan. No, Damon would have been her target instead.

“What did you make him dream of?” Elena asked.

“A memory, the one of the first Miss Mystic Falls dance,” Katerina said, before looking away.

“You mean the one were you found out about Damon and me?” Elena asked, not looking happy at the reminder.

“Yes and no,” Katerina said. “Remember, I didn't quite realize about you two until later, the day before my plan came to fruition. I actually showed Stefan a bit of what had actually happened that night. I showed him seeing you – which, is what got me suspicious to begin with –“

“I know,” Elena said shortly, “you had me erase that from his memory once you realized that he actually had seen me, after all.”

“Well, he confused you as Mia, and I ended up making it switch to were you and Damon were playing pool at the Mystic Falls Grill,” Katerina said. “Either way, it was still actually you, not Mia. I told him that we would be together again. Well, he woke up after that, thought, for a moment, that I was Mia -” here, Katerina's frown became more pronounced as she twirled a strand of her lightly curled hair - “and then tried to get away from me, which, as you know, I wouldn't take very well.”

Katerina went on to tell her the events of what else had happened, how she'd confessed to having been the one to come up with the plan what had happened back in 1864. Of course, she had neglected to mention anything about Elena to him – after all, it wouldn't exactly be easy to explain about a twin sister that you never mentioned before, particularly since there had been a reason for her having not been told to him about Elena to begin with.

She also informed Elena that the only reason she told him that much was because of the fact that he had kind of tricked her, stabbing her in the back with a vervain dart, and then torturing her with it afterward.

“Oh please, you wanted to tell him,” Elena said after she mentioned that. “You and I both know that vervain doesn't bother you as much as it does a normal vampire.”

“Only because of who my sire was and the fact that I've built up a tolerance towards it,” Katerina said. “And you are right, I did want to tell him. Of course, I also wanted to tell him a bit more about you, so he'd know that I didn't actually play with him and Damon, but I didn't.”

Elena had a feeling that Katerina had another reason for wanting to do that, but didn't think to ask.

“Anyway, I finally met Mia, face to face,” Katerina said.

“Let me guess, you noticed just how much easier it would be for you to pretend to be her than you probably thought it would be,” Elena said.

“Oh, yeah. As long as I don't straighten my hair, I could easily knock her out and take her place,” Katerina said.

“If you had something that would mimic a heartbeat and a necklace like hers, yeah,” Elena said, nodding. “Anyway, what else has been going on?”

“Mia and Stefan are trying to play me a fool,” she said. “One of my 'conditions' for leaving Mia alone is that she and Stefan break up. They staged a whole little scene of that in front of the blonde.” She snorted, a bitter sound that showed her displeasure at being thought of as an idiot. “As if I would stage only one watcher towards them.”

“At least they're attempting to take you seriously,” Elena said. “At least they don't know that you have no plan of killing Mia.” Elena didn't mention that, just because her sister didn't plan on killing the girl didn't mean that she didn't have plans that would bring that about. Handing Mia to Klaus was going to do that – there was no other way, after all, unless one figured out how to actually kill Klaus. And since the only one who knew where the stake that could kill him was missing... Well, it made sense that they would take the seemingly easy way.

“So how are you going to be watching them?” Elena asked.

“I've got Caroline who will be watching them when they're at the manor, and then there's Jenna,” Katerina said.

“Jenna? Mia's adopted aunt?” Elena asked.

“The very one,” Katerina said. “First, I got her to let me in the house because I 'forgot a book I needed for school', and switched her vervain perfume with rosewater. Then, yesterday, I visited her at school, and compelled her to tell me everything that went on with Mia and Stefan at her house.” Katerina held up her phone. “She just called me before I came here. Stefan apparently decided to spend half the night there before leaving.”

“And you're sure that they're playing you and that he just didn't want one last night with Mia because...”

“Jenna heard their conversation about how they were right about Caroline working for me,” Katerina answered. “She also let me know that they had decided to come up with little pet words to show their love to each other without others realizing it.”

“Somehow, that doesn't surprise me,” Elena said, thinking. “Do you think that they'll realize that they have another watcher on them. I mean, honestly, I don't think it's a good idea to just leave Caroline and Jenna watching them?”

“What do you mean?” Katerina asked, intrigued. She hadn't expected Elena to be willing to help her on something like this.

“I'm think that Jeremy and Anna could help,” Elena said. “Among others.”

“Anna won't, and neither will Mia's brother,” Katerina said blandly. “And who else are you thinking of.”

Elena looked at her.

“Anna and Jeremy won't have a choice,” she said coldly. Katerina understood exactly what she was saying. “As for the others,” Elena continued. “I”m thinking Caroline's ex-boyfriend, and, maybe, Mason's nephew.”

“I told Mason that we wouldn't involve Tyler,” Katerina said. “Besides, as a werewolf, he's immune to compulsion, even without vervain.”

“But not to manipulation,” Elena said. “But your right, we should leave him alone...for now.”

“What are you thinking?” Katerina asked blandly. Elena looked at her. “It...might be better to deliver two werewolves to Klaus, not just one. I have no doubt that he will want to test himself once freed of the curse,” she lied. In truth, she wanted Tyler for a different reason. She could still clearly remember her 'lessons' about Klaus and how he became what he was – turned into a vampire before he ever had his first kill. It was something that she really couldn't get out of her mind, something that she wondered being possible with other werewolf gene carriers.

She'd been wanting to do this for a while, and would have thought about using Mason, but she didn't even know he existed until Katerina came home smelling of him one day. And, by then, he'd already been turned.

But now, knowing that Tyler existed – and having learned that it was the Lockwood side of the family that held the gene – her curiosity was peaked again. And, after having Alisha observe him the other day, she just knew that Tyler would be perfect for what she wanted to test. She just knew it.

“Your idea has merit,” Katerina said, though she was still looking at Elena, her face showing her obvious reluctance to believe Elena. She just couldn't help but feel that there was something that Elena wasn't telling her, a feeling she'd gotten very few times in the past, such as when she was sneaking out to see Damon, or when she spoke about the years between Katerina's escape from Klaus and her rescue from him herself. “So, how do you plan on getting them to you without trouble?”

“I figured that I would start with Tyler first,” Elena said, her voice clear in the fact that she wasn't going to be saying anything more. Katerina studied her sister for a moment, about to ask what she was planning on doing – particularly since she just had a bad, bad feeling that she wouldn't really like it all that much – when her phone rang.

“Yeah?” she asked the moment she answered it.

“Hey, Kat,” Mason's voice wasn't all that loud, but Elena heard what he said clearly from where she was at.

“Hey,” she said.

“So, exactly why can't I get rid of Damon Salvatore again?” he asked. Elena turned, glaring at the wall while clenching her hand into a fist. “I mean, the guy just stuck a knife in me.”

“You can't do anything to him because our objective is to get the moonstone,” Katherine said. “Nothing else. We already had to wait until the vampires were gone, and really don't need the town wondering if they missed some. After all, all it takes is one before they start looking for more, which will get me into trouble. Plus, with brother having been killed for being thought of as a vampire, well, it could lead to someone deciding to take a closer look a the family, including you.”

“Right,” Mason said. “Are you sure it's because you still don't have some feelings for him?”

“Mason,” Katerina said, her voice softer, more seductive now. “You know your the one I love, not him or his brother. You. I just don't want to worry about having to hide any more than I already do. If you slip up about them, they could try – and probably succeed – in turning it around. Remember, they're more 'celebrated' at the moment than you are. Damon has had almost a year to make himself invaluable to those that matter. I mean, he's the head of the council right now, that's something that's not to be taken lightly.”

Elena heard Mason sigh before he agreed and hung up. Katerina sighed, looking at her own phone.

“He's not going to just give up,” Elena said, turning back to her sister. “I have no doubt that he'll still try something.” She made eye contact with her sister. “If he even tried to harm Damon, his life is forfeit. I don't care if we need him or not. His life will end if he does anything to Damon.”

Katerina nodded, her own face grim. She wouldn't stop Elena if he did something to Damon, because one, it would be suicide to do so, and two, nothing would stop her from also going after Stefan at the same time if she even attempted such an action.

“Glad you understand,” Elena said, turning back away.

“Guess I'll see you later,” Katerina said.

“Yeah,” Elena answered.

* * *

 

“Alisha?” Elena said, the day after Katerina's visit. She was looking out the window, an envelop in hand, her lips pursed. It was clear that she was still thinking about what she wanted to do, as if she hadn't quite formed her own opinion yet. In truth, she had, she was just...cautious about proceeding. If things went wrong...

“Yes, Elena?” Alisha asked, coming to stand behind her. Elena held the envelop out.

“Please give this to Tyler Lockwood, and wait until he give you an answer,” Elena said. “If he agrees to see me, bring him here.”

Alisha looked worried for a moment, then nodded, taking the envelop and leaving the house. Elena sighed once she was gone. She knew what it was that Alisha was worried about – this would be the first time that she would be seen by someone who was so close to the group that they were dealing with. But Elena had a way to get his cooperation. It was going to be so easy to do so, after all. She knew that Mason wouldn't even think of doing this – Mason might tell him just enough to help, but that was it.

Elena was positive that Tyler would be open to her, particularly once she told him what she could. Elena knew that truth would be a powerful decisive. And that was all she was going to offer him, the truth. The truth of what she was, what he was – though she had the feeling he already knew – the truth behind the moonstone... everything she could think of. Hell, she would even tell him the truth of what she wanted from him. After she did what she wanted to do with him.

* * *

 

“Hello,” a male voice called out through the house. The young man connected to the voice looked around, eyes widening as he took in the destruction of the place. He was tempted to turn and leave, but the thought of the note he'd gotten was enough to keep him there. Nervousness swept through him as he stepped further into the house, the contents of the note on his mind, as well as the fact that he'd almost killed one of his classmates that day as well.

“Hello, Tyler,” said a rather familiar female voice from behind him. He spun around quickly, confused as to where this woman had come from, as he had closed the door and hadn't heard her come in. Then, he took her in, his surprise growing. She looked almost exactly like his classmate Mia Gilbert. And yet, there were some subtle differences, the biggest being her hair. Where Mia's was a wild look of shoulder length curls, this woman's had straight, sleek hair, going down to around mid-back, if not a bit longer. He couldn't quite tell, as she was leaning against the wall, watching him with a look that actually kind of scared him. The other difference – besides what she was wearing – was that she looked just a bit younger, not by much, but enough to be noticeable.

“Who are you? Why do you look like Mia Gilbert?” he asked, immediately on guard. After having not only learned that he held the werewolf gene, a gene that wanted him to activate it, which occurred by a death at his hands, to learning that Jeremy Gilbert possibly knew what he was, and then to almost have killed his classmate just an hour ago...well, frankly, he was tired and worried out of his mind.

“I'm Elena, Elena Petrova,” she said. “As for why I look like Mia, well...you'll understand in a few hours.”

Tyler's eyes widened in shock as her face changed, blue-black veins popping up around her eyes, which also appeared effected. Fangs, long and sharp, protruded from her mouth. Before he could do anything – shout out for help or run screaming – a hand found its way around his mouth, keeping him quiet and holding him against the wall he suddenly found himself against. The hand over his mouth controlled his head, keeping him from moving from the position she had placed it in, which left his neck bared to her gaze. Panic and fear had his blood running, but he wasn't able to do anything about it either, for she was strong, much stronger than he had thought, despite the fact that she was a tiny, rather petite female.

Pain surged through him as those fangs found purchase in his neck. Dimly, he was aware of her body pressed against him, but mostly, he was aware of the sound and feeling of his blood being forced from his body. He tried to get her to release him, but it didn't work. In fact, it was as he was weakening that she finally let him go. He could feel his blood flowing from the wound, sliding down his skin to soak into the shirt he wore. He began to feel weak, his limbs lethargic, his eyes wanting to close and shut.

She finally pulled away.

“Your perfect,” she said, licking her lips free of his blood. The wound continued to bleed, more heavily now that it wasn't flowing into her mouth.

“Oops,” she said, looking at the wound. Her face was still in it's monster form. “Guess I was a little too enthusiastic. Don't worry, though, I'll heal you.”

With that, she brought up her arm and bit into her wrist, shoving it into his mouth. He was forced to swallow her blood as she held his face still. Immediately, he felt the changes it brought to his body. He could feel the wound closing, his blood multiplying, and calmness flowing over him. As she pulled her arm away, he just looked at her from underneath heavy lidded eyes.

“See you when you wake,” she said, and, quick as a flash, her hands were on his head, twisting harshly. The loud snap of his neck was the last thing he heard as the life left his eyes, and his body dropped to the ground.

“It's done,” Elena said as she bend down and carried the body up the stairs. Alisha followed behind her.

“Are you sure this will work?” Alisha asked.

“It should,” Elena said. “His werewolf gene hasn't been activated yet, after all. Unless...”

“No, it's still inactive. Of course, you should have realized that once you flew at him,” Alisha said. “He would have been able to defend himself if it was activated, plus, you remember what Miss Pierce said; an activated werewolf's blood doesn't quite taste right. But what I'm worried about is what will happen once he kills someone.”

“Klaus was in the same situation as Tyler is right now,” Elena said. “The only difference is the way the change came about. While I'm not completely positive that this won't backfire, I do have a feeling that it won't. This is just a test to see if I'm right or not.”

“And if your not?” Alisha asked.

“As horrible as this might sound, all well,” Elena said. “It doesn't really matter to me if it works or not. He's not needed, after all, and his presence probably won't be missed all that much. In fact, the only one who might care a whole lot is Mason, and, if he wonders, he can come to me and learn the truth.”

“Do you mean the truth, or a reasonable truth?” Alisha asked.

“If it comes down to it, a reasonable truth,” Elena said. “After all, I have no doubt that, despite what Katerina wants of him, he won't attempt to get back at Damon for attempting to kill him. He's a wolf – going after vampires and those that insult him is ingrained in him, just as going after those who harm or insult is ingrained in a vampire.”

“Which means that, if he doesn't kill Damon, Damon will, in turn, go after and kill him,” Alisha said.

“Exactly,” Elena said. “And if he does kill Damon,” she started to add, turning to Alisha, “I'll be killing him.”

“But then what reason is there to kill Tyler?” Alisha asked.

“Partially for daring to attack Damon, and partially to blind Mason so that I can attack,” Elena said, walking over to her. She reached and brought and arm up to pat Alisha on her shoulder. “I know it seems harsh, but this is the world we live in. I will make sure I have every advantage over someone, especially someone I see as an enemy. This way, I'll know if they'll attempt to blindside me.”

She walked off after those words, which lodged themselves into Alisha's brain and ran over and over again. They left her wondering if, perhaps, Elena did the same thing to her, but she shook the thought off. Having been with Elena for years, she knew that Elena trusted her, just as she trusted Elena. That truth was enough to keep the both of them from every turning on each other.

At least, that's what she told herself as she settled down in one of the chairs, listening as Elena began her restorations once again.

* * *

 

“You're awake. Finally,” came a slightly familiar female voice to the side of him. He turned to see the girl from before, the Mia look-a-like. Elena Petrova, if he remembered corrected. His memories were fuzzy at the moment. And he felt awful. His head was pounding, his body filled with sand, and his mouth felt incredibly dry. He repeatedly swallowed, though it did no good. His tongue felt like sandpaper against the sides of his mouth, and each swallow felt as if he was trying to force glass down his throat. He really wanted some water right then, feeling as if he was willing to kill to get it.

“Water won't help,” the girl said. He turned towards her, wonder how she knew what he was thinking. He took a breath, planning on asking her...what, he wasn't sure, but the breathe made him pause. There was...something in the air, something that was drawing to him. He took another breath, following his nose. There! There it was.

A brown mug was in the girl's hands. He didn't know how he'd missed that the first time, as there really wasn't any way of that having been possible, considering how she was holding it – slightly in front of her, where it was certain to catch a person's eyes. He took another deep breath, a smile crossing his face as he realized that the mug held the most delectable scent in the world.

“I take it that you want this,” the girl said, holding the mug towards him some more. He moved towards it, feeling a hunger begin to burn through him, one he didn't think he should be feeling. It confused him, but when she brought the mug to his lips, and started tilting it, and he got another sniff of what was in it, he stopped thinking about it. Instead, he opened his mouth. Almost immediately, the liquid inside began filling his mouth.

It tasted heavenly; in fact, it was probably the best thing he'd ever tasted. He took the cup from her, tilting it more and more until his whole head was also tilting back, eager to get every last drop of the liquid. It happened afterward; a sharp pain burst in him mouth, along his gums, as he felt something happening to his face. Dropping the cup, he felt his face, feeling the raised skin that his veins had caused, as well as the sharp teeth in his mouth. He panicked, seeing a mirror in the room he was in, and rushing towards it, noticing that his face was almost exactly how the girl's had looked before...

_Before she pushed me up against that wall and sank her teeth into my neck_ he realized, panicking some more as he turned towards her, questions and accusations running through him mind.

She smiled at him.

“Your memory coming back?” she asked him. “That's good. We don't actually have all day, after all. In fact, we only have a bit of more time left.”

“What did you do to me?” Tyler demanded. She smiled at him.

“Turned you,” she told him. “Specifically, into a vampire. I don't want you to think I forced your wolf transformation.”

His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, like a fish, as he to think of a response to what she'd just said. The fangs in his mouth had retreated back to their original place.

“What?” he said. “No.”

“Yes,” she said, contradicting him. “And be glad I did. I mean, if I didn't, you'd most likely end up dead, or forced to become a wolf.”

That caught his attention.

“What?” he repeated.

“Do you honestly not know? Your uncle is about to get himself killed – you can't do anything about it, either – and you were to be the replacement if he got himself killed too soon,” she told him. “It would have ended in your death as well. Whether it would be by the same hands that killed your uncle would have been subjective as well.”

He gaped, his mouth opening and closing as if he was a fish.

“Now, I won't lie, I have no idea if you'll actually survive as you are right now. I mean, even though it's been left unactivated, you are a born wolf. That right there might have been enough to cause this to backfire, but, so far, it hasn't. I mean, you did wake up normally, and you did drink. Now, all that's needed it for you to drink from the vein, and then we'll know if everything will be okay or not,” she continued.

“No,” he said, finally finding his voice. He didn't know what drinking from the vein meant, but he didn't really like the sound of it.

“Ah, how cute. You think I'm giving you a choice,” Elena said. Before he could do anything, she ran and grabbed him, while some male walked into the room. Almost immediately, the sweet scent of blood filled the air – the man was bleeding from a wound on his arm. Tyler's face changed, his fangs coming out as the scent overwhelmed him. Now, it was only the fact that she held him still that kept him from attacking as she wanted to do at the moment. She grabbed the arm of the man, holding it up to his mouth, where he immediately sank his fangs into it.

She let him drink for a while, before pulling the arm away from him. He snapped, trying to get back to the delicious treat she'd taken away, but she held him there quite easily as the man left the room. As the scent cleared from the room, his common sense came back to him, and he felt his legs give out as she let him go, sinking down to the floor. She moved away, waiting for his thought process to begin again.

When it did, he looked disgusted with himself. However, before he could truly say anything, the girl sat in front of him once again.

“Now, I believe that I said that, once this was done, I'd tell you why I looked so much like Mia Gilbert,” she said, distracting him. He looked at her, his mind going back to that as he wondered about it once again. He did remember her mentioning that before, and, now that she had mentioned it, he found himself wanting the answer to it

“Yes, you definitely do remember,” she muttered, leaning against the wall. “Of course, why should I just tell you that. I mean, I'm sure you have more questions you want to know – after all, I doubt Mason has told you everything you'd need to know, and not just about what you are or could become. It's doubtful he told you about any of the secrets Mystic Falls holds.”

Her words seemed to hold him captive, his eyes wide upon hearing them.

“What secrets?” he asked. A smirk grew on Elena's face, startling him.

“Oh, you'd be surprised at just how many secrets Mystic Falls holds,” she purred. Then, getting herself comfortable in her seat on the floor, she starting with the original information she'd mentioned telling him, and then moving onto the things about Mystic Falls he had no idea about. Tyler's head spun as he learned of the existence of vampires, the true origins about the moonstone he had held, the fact that his uncle was lying to him, even more than he had thought. He learned about the connection the girl – his sire – held to his classmate Mia, learned that her identical twin sister had charmed and was using his uncle, a fact that had startled him.

He learned even more than anyone else knew, including things that her sister was unaware of. Hell, Elena didn't even spare him about he fact that she had no idea if he would live should his inactive werewolf gene come to life now that he was a vampire. And, though she didn't quite say it, he knew the fact that he might die didn't matter all that much to her. She had point-blank told him that he was pretty much an experiment.

Strangely, though, none of what she said about that really seemed to anger him. In fact, despite the fact that she had no clue what would happen to him, he wasn't mad, all for one purpose – the fact that, if what she was trying to attempt worked, then he would probably only need to forcefully turn once before he could control it. At least, from what she was saying, that's what she suspected would happen. That one little bit of news had any hatred and disgust towards what he'd been changed into grudging respect for her. When he'd first discovered what could have happened to him, he'd been so afraid that he would do something he didn't mean to, activating the gene that had caused his uncle to shudder with horror of having activate it. He didn't want to find out what it was that had caused such a reaction from his uncle.

As for the information about his uncle about to be killed, well, he was of two minds about it. On one hand, he didn't want that to happen, and would like to avenge him if it did. On the other, his uncle had apparently lied to him about some of the reason why he was there, and would still end up dead anyway because of it, though by a different hand. And he got the feeling that Elena would truly kill him if he attempted to attack one of the ones who might kill his uncle, while also sensing that the other would easily kill him in general, even if he did manage to have the upper hand for a moment. He could just sense that from her, and he wondered who these the one person was to her that would cause such a response.

He had to admit, he was kind of interested in meeting them simply for this reaction they caused, for Elena was already showing him that she wasn't the usual type to have a response like that from most people. This person who was causing that reaction must be someone terrifying.

* * *

 

Over the next week, Elena helped Tyler get used to his new status in the supernatural world. He took to it rather easily, much to his surprise. It also seemed like it was the easiest thing to exist like this, and he found himself more and more grateful towards Elena for bringing him into this side of the world. He was even getting used to being around others without immediately trying to take a bite out of them, even if they were bleeding. Elena was proving to be quite the teacher in teaching him control, though he was surprised when she admitted that it had taken her close to two decades before she had control of herself.

As for Elena, she found it a wonderful distraction to what was going on by helping train Tyler. More than that, she found it a useful distraction, for he proved his worth in delving out information he believed that she would find interesting, from what he overheard Caroline, Mia, Bonnie, Stefan... everyone of those whom knew about the truth to the supernatural world who spoke in public, where he could possibly overhear it. And she had to admit, what he did tell her, she learned quite a bit from it, including the fact that Mason seemed to be coming even closer to disregarding Katerina's instructions to leave the Damon alone. She hoped that that little observation turned out to be wrong, if only for her sister's sake – Katerina didn't know about Tyler's new status, and she had done everything possible to ensure that Mason would listen to her so that she didn't have to look for another wolf to hand over to Klaus. It would be quite a waste of time to have to do it all over again.

As for the house, when he wasn't there, she was working on it, refusing to venture out where she could be seen and possibly mistaken for being Mia, or Katerina, should one of Mia's friends see her while knowing of Mia's whereabouts. She wasn't sure how she liked the self-imprisonment, seeing how it reminded her all too much of her time with Klaus, from when Katerina accepted his hospitality mere moments after meeting him to three year after Katerina and herself learned of why he had been interested in them upon meeting them, and Katerina had managed to turn herself and escape. The ten years after that had been hell for Elena, though not in the way of too much physical pain. No, Klaus hadn't seemed to want to 'damage' her too much. Instead, he had mentally tormented her, such as starving her to the point where she would attack anything filled with human blood, a point brought home when he'd often bring stolen children for her to feed on them.

Just the mere memory of how many children she'd killed still made her sick to her stomach. At least, that part had only lasted the first half year after Katerina had escaped. Then, she'd simple been forced to be alone almost all the time, only Elijah for company the few times he let her have anyone other than himself around her, for he seemed to believed she was his and his alone, therefore, only his company should be needed for her. While not the social creature that her sister had been, she still didn't like to be lonely, either, and being locked in a room with no one to speak to or simply be there more often than not hurt for her. Sheer loneliness had often had her willing to be in Klaus's presence, though he had often taken her willingness for his presence to mean a want for him in general.

Elena was careful to make sure that Katerina never actually discovered what Klaus had done, knowing that it would devastate her older sister, whom had already been in a bad state for having to leave Elena and not managing to come for her for those ten years. Elena could still remember how Katerina had held her frail body close, refusing to let her go the first three years after her rescue. Katerina had only let her be out of her sight in order to hunt, an event upon which Elena had to be personally fed by Katerina, for Elena was both too weak and too uncontrolled to feed on her own without causing mass and news worthy damage.

Elena made sure to keep in touch with Katerina, but, knowing that Katerina would edit things out, whether for her safety or to keep her from doing something that could give away where she was or of her existence, had her wanting to make her own connections in the group, had her wanting to have her own spies. And, while Tyler was doing pretty well on his own, he was just one person, one whom they didn't want really knowing anything. So, with that thought in mind, one night, after getting assurances from Tyler that neither Katerina nor Mia would be there – he'd finally given Mason the stone, as Elena had instructed him to do the day before, meaning that Katerina and Mason would most likely be 'celebrating' together, and, being that Mia and Stefan didn't know about him, he'd been able to eavesdrop on the two while they were secretly meeting each other, overhearing their plans to meet at Mia's house. Because of that, Elena would be free to move around the town a bit more, and that was exactly what she needed.

Tracking down the target in question hadn't been too hard. Tyler had made plans with Jeremy to meet at the grill, knowing that Jeremy knew about him having the werewolf gene and using that to arrange a meeting for them in a public place, to help make Jeremy more willing to meet him. He knew that, having been avoiding Jeremy with the last couple of weeks would have Jeremy curious, at the very least, to know why Tyler would be willing to speak to him now.

Elena had received the text from Tyler just a few minutes ago, and, dressed in clothes owned by Mia – having snuck into her room for a few moments to raid her clothes earlier that day – she headed straight to the grill, opening the door and walking in. She looked around, easily finding the two at a pool table, and walked over.

“Jere,” she said, putting on her best concerned face. As she predicted, Jeremy looked over to her, a slightly puzzled look on his face which he shook away after a few moments. She knew that he probably thought she might have been Katherine for a second, especially considering that her hair was straightened, but the clothes, concerned expression, and the fact that Katherine had no reason to really search him out most likely had him being less than cautious. And, already having a perfect excuse for it her hair her straight, she knew that it wouldn't take much for him to completely lose that caution he still had.

“Mia, what's wrong?” Jeremy asked. “And what did you do to your hair?”

“I straightened it,” Elena told him. “Stefan told me that, the last time he saw Katherine a few days ago, she seems to have begun wearing her hair curled like mine, making her appear even more like me. I figured that straightening my hair would throw her for a loop. I already told Stefan and Damon about it as well, so they know not to trust 'me' if I appear in front of them with curled hair.”

Jeremy got a sort of understanding look on his face, the last bit of caution that she might not be his sister fading from him.

“That sounds like it's a really good plan,” he told her. “So, what's wrong?”

“I need to speak to you, in private,” she said. “It's important.”

He looked at her, seeing the serious look on her face, and nodded his head before turning to grab his jacket, thus missing the look that passed between Tyler and Elena. Then, standing, Jeremy remembered that he'd come here to hang with Tyler, and turned to him.

“Um, I kind of need to go,” he said. “Mia needs me for something.”

“No problem,” he said, holding up his phone, which he had pulled out and looked at while Jeremy and Elena were talking, so what he was about to say appeared to be true. “I just realized that my phone's been on silent, and that my mother's been trying to get a hold of me, so I need to go see what's up with her.”

Jeremy nodded as Tyler grabbed his own jacket and walked out of the grill, then he turned, following Elena out of the grill, and towards the alley she was leading them to.

“So, what's up?” he asked. “What's –“

He suddenly stopped, a loud grunt coming from him as a loud thunk was heard. Turning, Elena saw that, as previously decided, Tyler had indeed come and knocked Jeremy out. An eyebrow was raised as she noted that he'd used a pipe to do the knocking out.

“I made sure not to hit him so hard as to cause a lot of damage,” Tyler said. “I didn't even break the skin.”

Elena nodded her head, turning and picking up the unconscious boy.

“Does he, as I suspect, have a way to contact Anna?” Elena asked.

“He can call her,” Tyler said.

“Good,” Elena said. “We can deal with that when we get back to the house, then. Stay here in town; I don't want anyone suspicious of you if people realize that Jeremy is gone. Having you disappear at the same time, when you both were just speaking to each other, will definitely bring attention to you from the others, attention we don't want right now.”

“Okay,” Tyler said, walking off in a seemingly random pattern. Elena noticed that he had clearly changed his mind of where he was going upon seeing a young teenage girl, whom he seemed to know based on way he began talking to her. Elena wondered vaguely if that girl was going to become a meal, or if he would remember to be careful – Elena had basically told him to not kill when feeding, as she wasn't ready to discover if he would survive or not, but, despite how good he was doing, she knew that it would only take one mistake from him to ruin all that good work.

If he didn't follow her words on that, she was going to have to find another to turn and use as a spy for her should he not survive. Of course, with the young man in her hands, she had the feeling that it wouldn't be as hard to do that as one might think. Still, she happened to like Tyler. She would hate for him to die.


End file.
